by Don Frances

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East 105th and Hickory streets in Watts, where a 1-year-old baby was shot and killed on Monday, June 4, 2012. Google Maps

Police are searching for a bicycle-riding gunman who shot and killed a 1-year-old baby as he was being held in his father’s arms in Watts on Monday evening.

According to the LAPD, the shooter is believed to be a teenager on a bicycle who rode past the 24-year-old father and his son at about 7:50 p.m., suddenly firing several rounds from a handgun, the L.A. Times reports. The father, standing in front of a house near East 105th and Hickory streets, was struck in the shoulder, the baby in the torso, CBS reports.

The shooter, said to be between 15 and 17 years old, fled on his bike and has not been found. The baby was rushed to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and died at about 11 p.m., according to reports. The father is said to be in stable condition.

Although a motive is not certain, severalreports say that police are leaning towards gang rivalry as the cause of the shooting. According to the police, a clash between rival Latino and African-American gangs led to several deadly shootings last year -- and in Monday’s incident the shooter was African American, while the victims were Latino.